Bay Area Outreach Ministries
Legal Victory
Dear Christian friends,
On September 17, I spent 12 hours in jail for preaching the gospel or, as they called it, “disturbing the peace.” God blessed us with a wonderful Christian lawyer, Julia Spain, who defended us at her own expense. She did an excellent job of writing up the “motion for dismissal,” showing that there was no basis for the charges against me and no need for a trial. On December 9, the judge dismissed all the charges. We were prepared to make an appeal on this motion all the way to the Supreme Court, a process that could have taken years, so we are very fortunate indeed that the judge dismissed the case! Even though all charges were dismissed, the District Attorney still refuses to return our amplifier to us, which was confiscated as evidence on September 17! We can get it back through a routine court motion (that may take several weeks) but it shows how determined the city is to stop our preaching.
We are still praying about what further action to take, but at this point I expect that we will be entering a Federal civil rights suit against the police departments for violating our constitutional rights. Otherwise, there would be nothing to prevent them from imprisoning us again on similar charges. The apostle Paul made use of the Roman legal system and his Roman citizenship to defend his rights. I believe that putting someone in jail for preaching the gospel is a very serious offense and we should pursue this matter in order to send a message to the police department in this and other cities. I know of two other situations in which Christians were imprisoned for preaching the gospel in the U.S. during the past few months. Sadly, much of our church is basking in the false security of material comfort and cannot read the handwriting on the wall. “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no man can work” (John 9:4).
On the Streets
During the past month, we have seen a real breakthrough in reaching some of the teenagers who hang out on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. One Friday night we spoke for an hour with four of these youth who are regularly on this street and had previously been hostile towards us and the gospel. “Bash” is a student at Laney College. He was raised in a Pentecostal home and at one time believed in Jesus, but now has rejected Him. Serona, who was also raised in a Pentecostal home, asked us why God would allow innocent people to die. She is 15, has sickle cell anemia, and was told she doesn’t have long to live. Dave also was a backslidden Christian. He said he had tried to serve God for a year, but that it was too difficult and he wasn’t happy as a Christian. Trina, 14, was abandoned by her parents, and was angry at God and at the world. She thought she was pregnant and was wondering what to do. The next week Shanna Atkinson saw Serona and Dave. Both hugged Shanna when they saw her. It was evident from their conversation that God was working on both of their hearts. Please pray for these four teenagers. We believe God is bringing them back to Himself, and that their restoration will have a tremendous effect on the other youth who are on this street.
On December 12, we joined with Jerry Brandt and Evangel Christian Fellowship in an outreach to the homeless at Roosevelt Park in San Jose. As hundreds of homeless people were receiving food and clothing, we had an opportunity to witness to a group of teenagers and preteens who were standing to the side, mocking the worship service. I first spoke with the leader, a young man whose skateboard read “Satan” and who was carrying the “Satanic Bible.” He had apparently influenced the other youth, even the children, to read the “Satanic Bible.” He was not as hardened to the gospel as I would have supposed and, as I witnessed to him, his attitude changed dramatically. By the end of the afternoon, he was talking about “King Jesus” and went up to receive a New Testament. Gradually, all the young people began to show interest in the Gospel and several received New Testaments. Two of them had been to a nearby Victory Outreach church which has a good youth program. I encouraged them to go back, and take the others. Pray for them that they will give their lives to Jesus, not to Satan.
Testimony
Chris was born 26 years ago to a Catholic family in Ohio. Like many young people, he drifted away from God and got involved in drugs, alcohol, and Eastern religions. He dropped out of college and started drifting around the country, following the “Grateful Dead.” He ended up in Berkeley.
One Friday night he was walking down Telegraph Avenue when Mary McKenna asked him if he would like to talk with someone. He said, “Certainly, I would love to.” Mary’s husband Mike began asking him about Jesus. Mike and Mary ended up taking Chris into their home and a week later he committed his life to Jesus Christ. During the past two years, Chris has been growing in the Lord and he is still involved in outreaches in San Francisco and Berkeley.
Stockton Outreach
Saturday February 4
In December, we joined Jonathan Pray and the Marin street witnessing team to witness in Sausalito and the Marin City Flea Market. The people were friendly (even the police). We sang Christmas carols and worship songs and gave out special Christmas tracts. On February 4, we will go to Stockton for our special monthly outreach. You can meet us at our house at 3039 Dakota Street in Oakland at 10 AM. Call us if you want to meet us in Stockton.
Tape of the Month
“The New Age Movement”
by Bob Burrows
Bob is a researcher for the Spiritual Counterfeits Project in Berkeley and is one of the leading experts on the “new age” movement. Millions of Americans are deceived by this movement, and we need to understand what these people believe so we can witness to them. This tape is available upon request for a gift of $5 or more to Bay Area Outreach Ministries.
Ministry Needs
One Saturday night, Shanna and I were walking down University Street in Berkeley taking our January newsletter to get printed out on a laser printer. As I walked down the street, I was wondering if there was any point in sending out newsletters every month. Was anyone reading them? Did anyone care about our ministry? Hardly anyone was attending our outreaches. Usually, it was just our house and one or two others. We barely had enough money to send out the next newsletter. Less than $100 had come in during the previous two weeks.
At that moment, a young man walked up to us and said, “You’re Larry and Shanna, aren’t you?” I had met him before but didn’t immediately recognize him. “You still have a ministry in Berkeley, don’t you?” he added. “I believe God has a gift for you.” He told us how he had been saved off the streets of Berkeley, and wanted to encourage us to keep up our work. He proceeded to give us two money orders totalling $450! I’ve heard of such things happening to other people, but it had never happened to me. God used this event to encourage me that He had called us to this ministry and that He would sustain us.
The reason we send out this newsletter is so you will read it and pray for us. We also need for some more of you to participate in our outreaches and help us with our expenses. Right now, most of our support comes from SOS Ministries, which is helping us get started. Ultimately, we need to become self-supporting. I’ve been receiving $200 monthly plus my room to cover my living expenses. The rest of our income goes toward keeping the ministry going– paying the phone bill, auto expenses, postage and printing, etc. We hope to get beyond the survival mode where we can print some new tracts, establish a food program for the homeless, and expand our evangelistic activities. We need your help to do this.
I am thankful for what God has given us and for each of you who has helped us. At the same time, I am troubled by the inequity of the situation that exists in church in the U.S. in which we build multi-million dollar church buildings for ourselves, yet many grass-roots evangelism ministries have difficulty scraping together enough funds for tracts.
I realize that there are many good ministries that are worthy of our support, but it would be difficult to find another ministry which is so careful to avoid extravagance and be good stewards of everything that is entrusted to them. We pay no rent and no salaries besides my small stipend. Our printer charges about 1/3 what other printers charge. As we enter a new year, many of you will be reevaluating your priorities for giving. I would ask that you do so prayerfully and consider supporting us on a monthly basis.
Also, we hope some of you will join us for our prayer meeting on Tuesday February 7. Last month, we asked our Father to put it on the judge’s heart to dismiss all the legal charges against us. Three days later our prayer was answered!
Finally, we need many more workers to help us with our weekly outreaches. The opposition is not nearly as great as it was when we first started witnessing in Berkeley. We are getting into many more conversations with people who are genuinely receptive to the gospel. Still, there is spiritual warfare on the streets and it is time God’s people got into the battle. American Christians have become too soft and complacent, enjoying our freedom and material comforts while most of those around us are heading toward an eternal Hell. Millions of Americans are turning to satanism, the occult, demonic music, and the “new age movement.” We are losing the battle for their souls. Let’s go out and reach them before it’s too late.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
